Science

Bob Ebeling, an anonymous source for NPR's 1986 report on the disaster, tells NPR that despite warning NASA of troubles before the launch, he believes God "shouldn't have picked me for that job."

Clay tablets show that Babylonian astronomers tracked planets using a method that was thought to be invented 1,400 years later. In a way, scientists say, the ancient techniques were "very modern."

The National Park Service is hiring a full-time photographer to document the country's natural landscapes. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Rich O'Connor of the National Park Service photography program about the position, which some are comparing to the job held by Ansel Adams in the 1940s.

The weather trail that led to a blizzard in the Mid-Atlantic likely started with a very warm Pacific, scientists suspect. Whether climate shifts will bring more strong El Niños is still uncertain.

A political fundraising experiment reveals: Small donors are more likely to open their wallets for political campaigns when they're told other donors who support a rival candidate are being generous.

The spread of Zika is probably limited by window screens and other mosquito-control measures in common use in the U.S. Also, the primary mosquito that carries Zika has a somewhat limited range.